Buhari didn’t clear SGF, Lawal of corruption – Garba Shehu

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on
Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said the President didn’t
clear the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF,
Babachir Lawal of corruption as widely held.
Featuring on ‘Ra’ayi Riga’, a BBC Hausa audience participation
programme, on Friday, the Presidential spokesperson said
Buhari only acted in response to the senate’s report which
indicted Lawal of fraudulent act.
Shehu
said
the
criticisms that have trailed the development were unwarranted
“because his letter to the senate did not dwell on whether the
SGF was guilty or not guilty.
“What President Buhari has done is simply to act in a response
to a report by the SGF, Babachir David Lawal, who insisted
that he and the companies cited were not given a fair hearing
by the National Assembly.
“President Buhari’s communication to Nigeria’s lawmakers was
simply this: If the SGF was not given a fair hearing, can you
now give him one?”
The Presidential spokesnan said the report was an interim one
and that a final report was, therefore, being expected.
Shehu
said
inspite
of
Buhari’s strong stance on corruption, “he believes in due
process and in fair hearing, without which, our democracy
cannot be taken seriously by Nigerians or the international
community.”
Recall that the senate had recently called for Lawal’s arrest
and prosecution, following an Interim Report by its ad-hoc
committee on mounting Humanitarian crisis in the North East
which indicted him of fraudulent act.
In the report, the committee alleged that Lawal who is the
Chairman of the Presidential Initiative of the North East,
PINE, awarded contracts to a company liked to him.
However, the President, in a letter to the senate rejected the
call by the upper legislative house, citing some infractions in
the report.
Reacting to the President’s letter, Senator representing Kaduna
Central, Shehu Sani, who heads the senate’s Ad-Hoc
Committee, expressed disappointment at the presidency’s
response to the committee’s report.